Navy League of the United States - Minnesota Council February 19, 2023
Brr!!!!. It was really cold in Minnesota in early February with temperatures in the teens and twenties, but divers from the Coast Guard, Navy and Army were prepared for the challenge.
The Coast Guard Special Mission Training Detachment-Dive (SMTD-Dive) Cold Water Ice Diving Course was held at Camp Ripley, Minn. from January 31 – February 10. The Minnesota Navy League Council was thrilled to be able to host the class at the completion of training for a dinner at the Town Hall at Camp Ripley.
Sixteen divers participated in the course and were from all over the country including units in Calif., Hawaii, Fla., and Va. The divers spanned three military services and included four Coast Guard divers, eight Navy divers and four Army divers.
The USCG Cold Water Ice Diving course (CWID) is conducted annually and consists of both classroom and field instruction that includes cold weather dressing and diving techniques, safety on floating ice, donning the CWID SCUBA outfit, and CWID SCUBA emergency procedures. Course content is facilitated via classroom presentations, cold-water diving tank, practical field exercises via ice covered lakes and performance-based evaluations. All perfectly suited for Minnesota’s cold weather environment.
The training was previously held in Washington state and moved to Camp Ripley last year. Divers who attended the course indicated that moving the course to Camp Ripley in Minnesota has challenged them in ways they never imagined by exposing divers to authentic cold weather training conditions reaching far extremes of operational capabilities.
The Camp Ripley environment allowed instructors to introduce students to the harshest winter weather conditions they may ever be asked to operate in, while offering the amenities that allow instructors to implement the proper level of controls to mitigate the hazards and risks they may otherwise be exposed to in a less controlled training environment. The amenities and facilities located on Camp Ripley are second to none.
The course is intended for all military diving personnel assigned to full-time dive billets within the ranks of E-5 through O-4. Its purpose is to provide all military divers with formalized training specific to operating in the harsh cold water and ice diving environments.
The Minnesota Navy League Council is thrilled to have been able to meet and host the USCG Cold Water Ice Diving course and looks forward to continuing a relationship with them on future visits to Minnesota.
The Minnesota Navy League Chapter, a 501c3 is a non-profit registered with the State of Minnesota.
Media Contact
Patricia Dolan, VP Communications, Minnesota Navy League
pkdolan37@gmail.com 703-851-5684
